Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER - ENVIRONMENT: SOUTH HAMPSHIRE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

ITEM 5

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

CENTRAL INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

OCTOBER 2005

COMPLETION DATE:

MARCH 2006

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2005/06

1.

FINANCE (Client Department, Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services [Estates Practice] and County Treasurer)

Current

Capital

Estimate

Programme

(at 2005

(at 2005

prices)

prices)

Capital Expenditure

£'000

£'000

Land to be purchased

Construction

205

205

Fees

25

25

230

230

Less developers/

other contributions

230

230

Financial provision for total scheme

Total Cost

1.

From Committees own resources

(a) Capital programme (as above)

0

Central Intelligent Transport Systems

200

Local Transport Plan Monitoring and

Initiatives

30

(b) Other

230

2.

From other resources

(a)

(b)

(c)

TOTAL

230

Value of land for this project in HCC ownership £

Variations from capital programme

Revenue implications

£'000

% variation

to Committee's

budget

Net current expenditure

8

0.009

Capital charges

27

0.022

TOTAL net expenditure

35

0.031

2.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

The Executive Member for Environment: South Hampshire and Resource Management approved £200,000 within the 2005/06 Transport Capital Programme for extending the implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications within Hampshire and £150,000 for Local Transport Plan Monitoring and Initiatives.

The continued development of the Traffic and Travel Information Centre (TTIC) in Winchester has enabled a number of ITS applications to be deployed and operated in Hampshire. Collectively these applications contribute towards an improved traffic and travel information service for Hampshire and assist in the delivery of the County Council's transport policies and its obligations under the Traffic Management Act, including the improved management and efficiency of the existing transport network. The proposals are consistent with Local Transport Plan 2 (LTP2). The provision of timely and accurate information can also help reduce congestion, assist incident management and improve accessibility. Improvements to the central office systems within the Winchester TTIC will enable information outputs to be enhanced and offer the basis for developing tailored and personalised journey planning and traffic and travel information services.

Real-time information has a key role to play in improving bus services and in conjunction with other measures can encourage bus usage. Significant investment has been made in implementing the county-wide STOPWATCH bus real-time information system (RTI). Elements of the contract relating to integration with the Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils' systems are required to maximise the coverage and effectiveness of the system. Joint working also offers value for money in avoiding duplication and will promote a seamless RTI service for passengers and operators in the Solent Transport area.

As part of the monitoring of LTP2 there is also a need for reliable and comprehensive information on bus service punctuality and where delays to services regularly occur. This information can also be used to make informed decision as to where further investment should be spent that would lead to quicker and more reliable bus services. This project will allow the collection of such information and significantly aid the decision making process for targeting future investment in capital schemes.

Targets and Outcomes

(i) To implement elements of the county-wide contract for STOPWATCH RTI and improve local bus services. The project will contribute towards meeting the LTP2 and (draft) Local Public Service Agreement 2 targets for increasing bus patronage. It will also positively impact on BVPI 103 (satisfaction with local public transport information) and BVPI 104 (satisfaction with local bus services).

(ii) To achieve enhanced information dissemination processes suitable for the deployment of a personalised travel service.

(iii) To collect comprehensive information on delays to bus services and punctuality in line with the Bus Punctuality Improvement Partnerships and the target of achieving 90% bus service punctuality by 2014/15.

3.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (Client Department)

National/County Network and Policies

3.1

The proposals are consistent with County Council policies and transportation strategy of using network management tools to utilise the full potential of the existing transport infrastructure and improve public transport services.

Details of Scheme and Design Standards

3.2

3.3

3.4

STOPWATCH RTI (£170,000, including £20,000 fees)

The County Council is currently implementing a county-wide contract for the provision of STOPWATCH RTI. The contract is a rolling programme of works with the central system architecture and communications infrastructure now in place and operating from the Winchester TTIC. The Stagecoach bus fleets operating in Basingstoke (66 buses) and Aldershot (88 buses) have been fitted with automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology to enable the real-time tracking of buses on the network. Works have also started to fit the Stagecoach bus fleets operating in Winchester (60 buses) and Andover (35 buses).

Southampton City Council is also implementing an RTI system. This will be integrated with the Hampshire system through server to server links so that bus location information can be exchanged for buses operating cross-boundary services. In the Havant/Fareham/Gosport areas the Hampshire system will be integrated with Portsmouth City Council's RTI system to enable information from buses tracked by the Portsmouth system to be fed to Hampshire in order to drive the bus stop RTI displays, web based and mobile phone information services. To enable these integration elements and a seamless RTI service for the Solent area for the benefit of passengers and operators the following works are proposed:

(i) to fit the remaining 40 buses of the Solent Blue Line fleet operating out of Eastleigh with AVL technology (funding is already allocated for 40 buses) at a cost of £120,000; and

(ii) to complete the software development and establish server to server links with the Portsmouth RTI system (funding is already allocated for integration works with Southampton) at a cost of £30,000.

These works will give the County Council the ability to track all buses of the main operators - Stagecoach, First and Solent Blue Line - in Hampshire with the exception of the New Forest area. As well as providing a comprehensive RTI system for passengers these levels of bus tracking will also provide the operators with information to assist service planning and operations management. The system also has the additional benefit of providing comprehensive data on schedule adherence and journey times. LTP2 contains a target to achieve 90% bus service punctuality by 2014/15, monitoring to date has been conducted through manual surveys but this project provides the opportunity to collect data on bus service punctuality on a continual basis. This approach is consistent with the aims of the Bus Punctuality Improvement Partnerships (BPIP), helping to ensure bus priority measures and electronic information systems are provided where most delays occur and by encouraging operators to invest in the local network, leading to improved performance. Therefore £30,000 for the LTP Monitoring and Initiatives capital budget will be allocated to this project.

3.5

3.6

Traffic and Travel Information Services (£60,000, including £5,000 fees)

The TTIC collects and processes large quantities of data and information from a variety of systems and sources. There is a need to provide tailored information that is relevant to individual needs at a given time. The ITS installed to date and the establishment of the TTIC offer the platform for developing a personalised travel information service to be delivered by the internet and Short Message Services (SMS). Developments to the central TTIC systems are required as a pre requisite for such a service. It is proposed that the Central Office for Management of Integrated Traffic Systems is enhanced in the following areas at a cost of £60,000:

(i) GIS mapping location to enable the accurate positioning of incidents and `hot spots' anywhere on the county-wide road network;

(ii) dissemination processes for travel bulletins and incident information;

(iii) image capture software; and

(iv) video streaming to internet to enable users to access up-to-date images of network conditions on their chosen route via computers and mobile devices.

These improvements provide the building blocks to filter and automate information outputs relevant to individuals. This work would complement other personalised initiatives within LTP2 and there is scope for demonstrating such a service with major employers and school and workplace travel plan initiatives. These system enhancements will improve the dissemination of information collected from existing ITS applications and future expansion.

3.7

To comply with all relevant United Kingdom and European standards.

Environmental Impact

3.8

The proposals will have no visual impact on the environment as all works are contained within the bus vehicles and the TTIC. The provision of timely and accurate traffic and travel information will contribute to improving bus services and their usage, enhance journey planning and help reduce the impact of incidents on the highway with resultant environmental benefits.

Land Requirements

3.9

No land acquisition required. All works to be confined within existing public highway limits.

Statutory Procedures

3.10

None.

Public Consultation

3.11

Solent Blue Line support the RTI proposals. The Solent Transport Executive Panel supports RTI integration. Eastleigh Borough Council and other stakeholders have been consulted on RTI proposals through the Eastleigh Area Quality Bus Partnership Forum and are supportive.

Local Member's View

3.12

Not applicable as it is a county-wide matter.

Impact Assessments

3.13

Improved information promotes user confidence in accessing the transport network and planning journeys. Good quality information is particularly beneficial for disabled passengers to help plan journeys. Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered and this scheme is not expected to compromise equalities in terms of race and gender.

Maintenance Implications

3.14

The installation of STOPWATCH RTI will result in additional revenue expenditure in respect of communications. An agreement is in place with Orange to secure General Packet Radio Switch communications at a competitive rate of £2 per SIM card per bus per month. ITS equipment is anticipated to operate satisfactorily for 10 to 15 years, after which it will need to be replaced. The RTI system hardware will be added to an annual maintenance contract and the revenue implications for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the systems introduced will need to be taken into account in the setting of the annual base budget.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

3.15

The STOPWATCH RTI system allows for emergency voice contact between the bus driver and the depot in the event of an incident.

Sustainability

3.16

Installation of the proposed systems supports the County Council's policies on improving economic efficiency through better transport management and more efficient use of the transport network. Bus RTI provision assists in promoting modal shift and sustainable travel.

4.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

4.1

4.2

Consideration was given to implementing CCTV network monitoring and traffic information Variable Message Signs in the Eastleigh area. It is felt these works should be deferred to form part of the broader network for monitoring congestion and air quality management measures as proposed in LTP2.

The information the project will provide on bus punctuality could be collected by manual surveys. However such an approach would not be able to provide such comprehensive or reliable information and is costly both in terms of resources to analyse the data and in terms of revenue expenditure to conduct the surveys.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1.

Published works.

2.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE

LOCATION

Working File RTPI SLE F.5298

Environment Department

Monument House